


Melancholy Hill

by verboseDescription



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Planet, Disabilityfest, Gen, References to past trauma, alien ocs - Freeform, internalized ableism, the beginning of the recovery arc we all want him to have, vague mentions of other characters but theyre not in it sorry, written because this month is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:26:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7381720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being thrown through the wormhole, Shiro ends up on a planet full of surprisingly helpful winged creatures who, apparently, have no problem taking a semi violent stranger into their home, or helping said stranger work through some issues.<br/>Or, that time Shiro almost stabbed an alien only to get the response of "Hey you're alright kid, want me to show you around?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Melancholy Hill

**Author's Note:**

> In this fic, there's an alien named Mixa. The name is actually pronounced more like "Mica," but y'know,  
> aliens  
> (I hope you all enjoy!)

Shiro doesn’t know where the wormhole landed him, but he’s already on high alert. He can tell there’s something wrong with his Galra arm, but doesn’t let it stop him from landing his lion.

Truth be told, his landing was a bit rough, but he refuses to call it a crash. A brief system check tells him that nothing’s been damaged, but also that he should probably wait a bit before attempting that again.

He doesn’t necessarily _want_ to, but part of him thinks he should check out the planet he landed on. His Galra arm is working again though it’s a bit sluggish, and at the very least, he should go apologize for anything he might have broken during his (not a crash) landing.

Shiro isn’t necessarily _afraid_ of leaving his lion—he fought aliens for a _year_ what could this planet possibly have that could take him on?—but his heart’s still racing and he might be a little worried about what may happen if someone catches him off guard.

(He’s not a monster, he isn’t.

But sometimes he fights like one and it’s hard for him to feel like he could be anything else.)

 

**Black Lion’s Database of Species and Planets:**

The Fae of planet Eliyorn are a highly advanced insectoid race who will not attack unprovoked. The Fae aim to be as self-sufficient as possible, and rarely trade goods with non-Eliyornings. Another reason why they don’t trade often is because they simply don’t trust outsiders to use their natural resources properly. While Eliyorn doesn’t have anything as powerful as Balmeran crystals they do have plenty of resources that other planets would gladly take, given the opportunity. Though they are wary of outsiders, they will gladly help lost travelers, though they may wish to play a few tricks on them first.

As of this date, Eliyorn remains a part of no larger empire.

 

Shiro almost stabs the first Fae he sees in the stomach because he doesn’t see xer approach. Luckily for the both of them, xer exoskeleton is hard and xer reflects are quick.

“I didn’t know there was any planets at war nearby,” Xe says. Xer voice vibrates in a way that reminds him of a fly, but somehow the buzzing sounds pleasant coming from xer. Xe has purple eyes and only one hand. Neither of these facts are very important, though xer lack of hand makes Shiro feel better about his arm. He hadn’t traveled to many planets yet, but xe was still the first creature he met that was like him.

“Why do you assume I’m a soldier?” Shiro asks, but immediately after asking he understands, “Oh. Of course.”

The paladin uniform is a battle uniform, after all. And it wasn’t like he was unarmed.

The Fae buzzes at him. He thinks its xer version of laughter.

“If I aid you, what will happen?” The Fae asks, “Who are you fighting?”

“Zarkon. Um. The Galra.”

The Fae stares at him for a moment with xer large eyes. Shiro can’t decipher the expression—xe may have a relatively human mouth, but xer features are just too different from his.

 _Now I know how Keith feels_ , Shiro thinks.

“My name,” The Fae says finally, “Is Mixa. It’s nice to meet you, noble warrior.”

So the Fae knew of Zarkon. That, at least, made things a bit easier.

“Shiro,” Says Shiro, “I’m sorry for stabbing you.”

Mixa’s wings flutter.

“ _I’m_ sorry for scaring a traumatized soldier,” Xe says, “Follow me.”

“Where are we going?” Shiro asks, “I don’t—My ship---,”

“No one wants to go offworld,” Mixa reassures him, “And even if they did, you had the luck of landing in the outskirts of our Court. No one comes here.”

“No one but you,” Shiro says. Mixa shrugs.

_At least one gesture is universal._

“So,” Mixa says, “How’d a fleshy creature like you end up in my neck of the woods?”

 

Mixa leads Shiro into what is clearly a marketplace. The Fae buzzing around all look remarkably different and suddenly Shiro misses Pidge because without her, there’s no one to make a comment on the remarkable genetic diversity of them all. He misses Hunk because there’s no one next to him talking about all the different types of food and all the dishes they could make with it. He even misses Lance and Keith, even though they’d no doubt be bickering, especially since there’s not really any “girls” for him to flirt with—the Fae don’t gender their people in the same way humans do.

Still, Shiro has Mixa, who is pretty good company. Somehow, xe manages to stand out among all of the colorful wings and golden clothing. At first Shiro thinks it’s just because xe’s clothing is nowhere as fancy or as new as everyone else, but he realizes xe just looks like a different kind of bug. It’s not about Mixa’s torn breeches and simple shirt. Xe’s exoskeleton looks harder, xer antennaes smaller, and xer legs more bowed making xer look as if xe could leap so high xe’d touch the clouds.

It occurs to Shiro that Mixa isn’t a market bug.

It occurs to Shiro that Mixa might be a warrior.

(Takes one to know one)

 

“Plenty of bugs here will just give you what you need if you explain your situation,” Mixa tells Shiro, “They can afford to give up a shirt or two, and if they can’t I can always pay.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Shiro says, “You’ve already been so helpful, I couldn’t possibly ask for more.”

“You don’t have to ask,” Mixa says slowly, “I just offered.”

Then, quieter, xe mutters, “Mammals.”

“I’m sorry if I was rude,” Shiro says, “Where I come from, it’s generally considered good manners to protest a bit before accepting something, unless it’s a special occasion.”

Mixa shakes xer head and leads Shiro through the stands.

“Mixa!” A Fae says. Ey’s eyes are even bigger than Mixa’s, and eir wings are ten times more colorful. Before either Shiro or Mixa could react, the Fae flies through the air and scoops them both into a hug.

“Careful!” Mixa squeaks and the Fae flutters eir wings and helps Mixa and Shiro up.

“I’m _sorry_ ,” The Fae says, “It’s just been so long since you’ve come to the market! And who’s this mammal with you?”

“Shiro.”

“Hello Shiro! I’m Ector.”

“Hi?”

“We came here for a very specific reason,” Mixa interrupts, “Ector, Shiro doesn’t know where his friends are and he’s too far for his communications to reach them. He might have to stay here for a little while.”

Ector smooths out eir flowing skirt and hums. Ey reminds Shiro of a butterfly, only he feels incredibly certain that no butterfly would sound like Ector. Shiro had never thought of “butterfly” and “loud” in the same sentence before seeing em.

“I know a bunch of bugs with food and room to spare,” Ector says, “Well, room enough at least. But they’re an outsider—and a mammal, no less! I don’t know if it’s a good idea for either of them for them to stay.”

“For him to stay,” Mixa corrects, “But you’re right of course. I suppose he could stay with me.”

Ector makes a sharp buzzing sound and stares at Mixa.

“ _You?”_ Ey gasps, “Share your _hive?”_

“I’m sorry to be so much trouble,” Shiro says but Mixa just shakes xer head.

“I like my privacy,” Xe says, which makes Ector snort, “But I’d rather know you were safe and with me than suffering at the hands of an over affectionate market drone.”

“Over affectionate is really putting it mildly,” Ector says, “But I know my partners wouldn’t mind tailoring a few outfits if you need it.”

“Thank you Ector,” Mixa smiles, “I know where your shop is. I can take him later. Right now, I should buy some extra food since I’m about to have a hiveguest.”

“I can join you shopping!” Ector buzzes, antennaes bouncing with excitement, “It’s my turn to do the hivehold shopping.”

“As long as you think it’s alright,” Mixa says to Shiro who nods. Ector bounces in excitement a few times before they all start walking.

“What do mammals eat anyways?” Ector asks. Shiro pauses.

“Uh, fruit?” He says, “But on my planet, there’s some fruit that’s poisonous and I don’t know if the fruit on your planet will be for me. We eat meat too?”

 _“Meat?”_ Both Mixa and Ector repeat.

“Don’t you?” Shiro asks. He’s pretty sure some bugs eat meat, but he’s not great with biology.

“Not this Court,” Mixa says, “We’re all herbivores here. It’d be a bit of a fly to get you any.”

“We actually don’t get along with the omnivores near us,” Ector adds, “That’s why Mixa—“

“Ector!” Mixa scowls, “There’s no point in bringing that up.”

Xe slowly reaches for their handless arm and rubs the stump. Suddenly, Shiro remembers xer comment about him being a “traumatized soldier.”

(Takes one to know one.)

 

**Black Lion’s Database of Species and Planets (Added Upon by Takashi Shirogane):**

“The Fae I’ve met are all really nice, but uh, I think some of them might keep outsiders as pets? And they have to tell their Queen anytime someone comes to their planet. Or their Court, I think. It’s probably for safety but the Fae I was with didn’t want me to come with them when they told the Queen. I don’t really want to get imprisoned by another ruler so it’s not like I’m really going to argue with them.

Ector just took my picture and brought it to the palace as like, actual proof there was an outsider or something while one of eir’s spouses fixed some Fae clothes to fit me. Also apparently polygamy is really common here? Just, um, worth noting. ”

 

The clothes Shiro gets are lighter than anything he’s ever worn in his life and make him feel like he’s in a fairy tale. From what he’s seen, Fae style is a lot like medieval Europe—or at least what Shiro imagines when he thinks of medieval Europe—but apparently that’s just Mixa’s Court. The lightness of the clothing, however, is something all Courts have in common.

“We can’t fly if we’re being weighed down by our shirts,” Mixa explains.

“But don’t you worry about it getting ripped?” Shiro insists.

“Somehow,” Mixa says, clearly amused by the question, “It’s never come up.”

 

As night falls, it becomes pretty clear that neither Mixa nor Shiro plan on sleeping.

“Miss your friends?” Mixa asks.

“Among other things,” Shiro replies, “Stargazing?”

“Among other things,” Mixa says. Shiro gives xer a tired smile. Mixa responds by handing him a drink.

“You’ll like it,” Xe says, “Or at least, it won’t harm you.”

Shiro grabs the cup with his left hand, takes a sip and laughs.

“We have this on my planet too,” He says, “We call it tea.”

Mixa buzzes. They both relax.

“You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to,” Shiro says suddenly, “But why live all the way out here? I mean, the town looks pretty nice—not that your house doesn’t! It’s wonderful!—but Ector seemed pretty willing to give up a room if you wanted one, and everyone seemed to really respect you.”

“I don’t deserve their respect,” Mixa replies. Xe gives a soft buzz that reminds Shiro of a sigh, “Besides, it’s my job—I’m a sentry. The Queen needs someone to warn her about intruders. Even if the intruder’s just a fleshy like you.”

Mixa takes another sip of tea.

“You know, you wouldn’t have to worry about Galra while you stay here,” Xe says, “Our atmosphere messes with their technology; they can’t invade. Not yet, anyways.”

 _Ah,_ Shiro thinks. He tries to move his Galra arm. Thumb’s not working. The rest of the fingers are lagging.

“It’s nice to know there’s some place Zarkon can’t reach,” Shiro says, and then yawns. He didn’t realize he was so tired.

“For _now_ ,” Mixa says. Xer buzzing is quieter. Shiro thinks xe might be getting tired too. He puts his tea on the ground and—

_He’s in Mixa’s cottage. Or no, Keith’s? He can’t tell, but he can hear crying from another room so he goes to investigate. Suddenly, he’s back at the Garrison, and this time he_ knows _the room he’s in belongs to Keith because he’s in it._

_“Why’d you have to leave?” Keith asks, “You promised me you’d come back. I needed you, you know I did.”_

_His eyes are red. His eyes are yellow._

_Sendak laughs at him._

_Shiro’s on the floor. His arm is gone and his vision’s getting blurry._

_“Looks like your luck’s run out, Champion,” He sneers, “But don’t worry, we’ll fix you up. Soon you’ll be better than ever.”_

_Shiro blacks out. When he comes to, his arm is back, but it looks purpler then it should be._

_It’s hairier, too._

_With a sense of dread growing in his chest, Shiro feels his face. It doesn’t feel like human skin._

_It feels like_

_Galra._

—Mixa shakes Shiro awake with one hand and before he can register what he’s doing xe’s on the ground.

Mixa doesn’t look worried, only cranky. A fall like that probably didn’t even hurt a creature like Mixa.

“You woke me up,” Xe says, “So I figured I would return the favor.”

“Thank you,” Shiro says, “Sorry.”

Mixa shrugs. Something about xer reminds him of Keith and suddenly Shiro can’t stop thinking of his dream.

Keith didn’t care that he went on the Kerberos mission. He understood. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t Shiro’s fault Keith dropped out. And even if _that_ wasn’t his fault, Shiro had done plenty of other things to feel guilty over.

“Before I was fight Zarkon,” Shiro says after Mixa gets back upright, “I was fighting for him. Not by choice, of course! But I was away for a while. And a lot of people thought I was dead. And this happened.”

He gestures towards his Galra arm. Mixa’s antennae twitches, but xer expression doesn’t change.

“It’s Galra tech,” Shiro continued, “So of course it’s not working here. I’m not sure I want it to, honestly. It just reminds me how I got it. I fought _so many_ people who didn’t want to fight me and for what? An arm designed to _kill?”_

Mixa stares at him.

“Sorry,” Shiro says, “I shouldn’t be dumping this on you.”

“You know,” Mixa replies, “You could probably find a way to pilot one-handed.”

“I don’t know if I have the time to learn,” Shiro says back, but the thought still made him feel more relaxed then he had been in a long time.

“It’ll be hard for sure,” Mixa agrees, “Harder than doing a one-handed cartwheel. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Or that you shouldn’t try. Besides, have you even checked if your ship has any sort of accessibility settings?”

“No,” Shiro admits, “It’s a good arm to have, though. Definitely makes it easier to fight. And do cartwheels, I assume.”

“I didn’t ask what was easier,” Mixa says and if xe was a human xe’d have rolled her eyes, “Having two hands would be easier than having one, but I’ve been getting by just fine. And if someone offered me a replacement, I wouldn’t take it! I don’t need one.”

Shiro sighs. He feels like this should be simpler than it is.

“Whatever happens, it’s your arm,” Mixa continues, “I’ve never had anyone force a prosthetic on me, so I wouldn’t know how it feels, but no one’s forcing you to keep it on now. Not here at least.”

“Thanks,” Shiro says. Already, he feels guilty about wasting Mixa’s time with his worries. He has no doubt xe has xer own, and he’s still practically a stranger to xer, “Sorry. For waking you up so early.”

“It’s whatever,” Mixa says, “It’s nice to worry about someone else for a change, anyways.”

Shiro looks at his Galra arm. Or no, Mixa was right. It wasn’t really Galra anymore. It was just his right arm. It was his right arm, and when he found everyone, he could probably get Pidge to modify it however he wanted. And if she didn’t know how to modify it by herself, Allura and Coran could probably help.

Or… He could try and fly his lion one-handed.

“If I take off my arm,” Shiro begins, “How do I know I’ll be able to do everything I need to?”

Mixa doesn’t say anything. Instead, xe walks out a couple feet in front of Shiro and stares at him.

And then, in the dim light of the dawning sky, xe does a cartwheel using xer one hand.

“Can’t be much harder than that,” Mixa says.

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write something about shiro! A lot of people do recognize his trauma, which is wonderful, but i don't think anyone's written about how he feels about his arm? (which, admittedly, I didn't really set out to do either)  
> I'm not sure where I got the planet name, but I feel as though it might have been the name of a prince from a cartoon (sophia the first). The Fae were based off of what I know about bugs (not a lot) and what I know about faeries (a good amount).  
> Pronouns are based off of class! Mixa is a soldier, and uses xe/xer. Ector is a worker, and users ey/eir. The queen is the only one who uses she/her.  
> Also, I just chose the name because it seemed fitting, and because the Gorillaz song is now stuck in my head.  
> Feel free to talk to me on tumblr at ofdreamsanddoodles !!


End file.
